Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction to help Vet’s with PTSD

There are some combat Veterans, that on our Nation’s Birthday, the Fourth of July, isolate themselves from family and friends because they are triggered by the sights and sounds that the rest of us enjoy. On Saturday, April 23rd from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the McIntosh Community Center, Base Camp Hope, a non-profit organization committed to providing care, hope, love and faith to military Veteran’s suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will host a fundraiser for their 3rd Annual Non-Fireworks Fourth of July event, held in Northern Minnesota, for PTSD Veteran’s and their families across the state. 

The Fundraiser is a free-will offering Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction. The money raised will offer these Veteran’s and their families a safe, stress-free Fourth of July, by hosting a non-fireworks 3-day event. 

Each year, an unknown number of combat veterans, including active and retired soldiers diagnosed with PTSD or not, will cringe, flinch and feel anxious as the crackle of fireworks sporadically fills America’s towns and cities on the Fourth of July. Though the day is a celebration of freedom, for many, who serve or have served in our military forces, is becomes one of the worst days of the year.

Approximately 22 Veterans a day take their lives due to untreated Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is not a mental disorder but a normal reaction to adverse circumstances that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event.

PTSD can carry an array of chronic, otherwise invisible symptoms that flare momentarily or take root for a time. These symptoms include nervousness, hyper-viligence, anxiety, avoidance, flashbacks, difficulty concentrating, feeling detached, and overreaction to things that seem like humdrum, normal daily moments. These feelings are unleashed from deep in the memory, hardwired back to real, horrible events that occurred maybe once and possibly many times on a battlefield. Both visual and auditory reminders can set off these symptoms for Veterans. 

Helping military veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines & Coast Guard, Base Camp Hope’s purpose is to cause Veterans to heal spiritually, mentally and physically. BCH is committed to educating veterans and the community about PTSD, using creative and alternative methods to aid our American heroes and in building a strong support system for broken families in need of restoration. 

Since opening its doors, Base Camp Hope has lived up to its mission by establishing core values, providing quality services and treating each client with the dignity and respect they deserve.

You can help give our hero’s a quiet Fourth by attending the dinner this Saturday from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the McIntosh Community Center. 

To learn more visit www.basecamphope.org. 

For help with PTSD, you can call the 24-hour Crisis Line at 651-283-8459.